As the Edmonton Eskimos search for a general manager, the most qualified person for the job isn't likely to get any consideration at all.

The question with Tillman has nothing to do with his ability to run a football team. His Saskatchewan Roughriders - yes, he built that team - are an example of that. The real question is: Will the public endorse a GM who received an absolute discharge, no jail time, and no record, for pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl two years ago?

At what point does Tillman receive an entry back into football? One year off? Two years off? What is proper here? And why is the sport punishing him longer than the courts did?

There has never been much consistency with public sensibility regarding matters of the court and sporting figures. At one extreme, the nefarious Mike Tyson, jailed for rape, assault and other crimes, now plays the part of celebrity, doing bit roles in comedy movies and on television shows. Hollywood actors of all kinds seem to be forever in difficulty with the law.

In the meantime, Tillman waits. His fault. His doing. But for how long? And how long before the sporting public accepts him back where he belongs, running a Canadian Football League team?

THIS AND THAT

A quick Tomas Kaberle update: Seven days left to trade him. Seven teams, according to Brian Burke, have made offers, none of them good enough to pull the trigger on. Burke expects a busy week. The clock ticks ... Here is the thing with Brett Favre: No one is less interesting in the off-season than him and no one is more interesting than him while play in the NFL is going on ... No need to take a vote, Jim Barker is already the coach of the year in the CFL. Forget the wins and losses. The way the Argos players have rallied around their coach and come back in the fourth quarter to win football games has been awe-inspiring ... Ozzie Guillen is right. If Major League Baseball teams can supply a translator for their Asian players, they should do the same for all non-English speaking players ... I'll go to my grave not understanding Cito Gaston: Like, why is Travis Snider leading off? ... The perfect choice: Mark Tewksbury as chef de mission for Canada's Olympic team in 2012 in London. Not only is Tewksbury a natural leader, but as a longtime critic of the Canadian sporting system, he is now in a position to make a difference ... Do the Blue Jays distance themselves now from Robbie Alomar, after yet another incident in his life?

HEAR AND THERE

That Alex Rodriguez isn't universally loved is nothing new for the giants of baseball. Ty Cobb was despised. Ted Williams wasn't popular. The public never warmed to Roger Maris. Fast forward and we give you the not-so-warm and fuzzy, Barry Bonds. Pretty good company for A-Rod, I say ... Wouldn't you love to see the Jays in a playoff series, if only to see how Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Shaun Marcum and Brett Cecil would hold up against starting rotations from the best teams in baseball? ... New definition of desperate: Any team that signs Martin Gerber to play goal ... How much did the NBA botch the expansion to Toronto and Vancouver: Well, 15 years later, the Raptors and the Grizzlies rank in the bottom five among all-time NBA franchises in winning percentage. Behind Toronto: Minnesota, Charlotte, the Grizzlies and the Clippers ... It's early, and the emotion of losing Alex Gonzalez has worn off, but it sure looks like GM Alex Anthopoulos stole Yunel Escobar from the Atlanta Braves and the Jays have their shortstop for now, and for the future ... Word around is that Canadian NFL tackle Nick Kaczur's back problems are so extreme in New England that it may cost him this season, and possibly his career.

SCENE AND HEARD

It's only six games, but you can already make a case for Cory Boyd being the most complete Argos running back in memory. I never saw Dick Shatto play, but Boyd is better from scrimmage than Cedric Minter, Doyle Orange, Pinball Clemons or Robert Drummond and a more skilled receiver than Michael Jenkins, Bill Symons or Gill Fenerty ... Department of We Make Up The Rules As We Go Along: Pass interference calls in the CFL. Like, what is, and what isn't? ... I'm considering buying an Edwin Encarnacion signature wrist watch: Only problem is it runs too slowly and the hands don't always work ...The strange off-season of the San Jose Sharks continues: First, signing Antero Niittymaki to play goal. Then, signing Jamal Mayers to play whatever it is he plays. Like any of this takes them closer to that elusive Stanley Cup ... The best Raptors news of the week: Isiah Thomas is returning as a consultant to the New York Knicks. That means, no matter how terrible the Raps get, you can be assured that Isiah's Knicks will be worse ... From these seats, David Purcey looks like a closer of the future for the Jays ... Why doesn't the NHL just get it over with and move the Phoenix Coyotes to Winnipeg? There is no future, no hope, no chance, in Phoenix. End of story.

AND ANOTHER THING

Player agent Bill Zito says there is strong interest in sudden free-agent goalie, Antti Niemi. But what is he supposed to say? That he and Niemi misread the market and the Chicago Blackhawks by winning at arbitration and losing the best goalie gig in hockey? ... Something the players need to fix in their next collective bargaining: The timing of arbitration hearings. When you schedule arbitration more than a month after free agency begins, it makes it too convenient for teams to walk away from the awards they aren't happy with. Then, when a team says no, a player is left with fewer options because most of the budget money for teams has already been spent ... If they want, the Boston Celtics could put a lineup on the court next season with Shaquille O'Neal (18th NBA season), Kevin Garnett (15th year), Jermaine O'Neal (13th year), Paul Pierce (12th year) and Ray Allen (14th year). They're not getting better, but they are getting older ... Happy birthday to Ken Dryden (63), Alvis Woods (57), Frank Howard (74), Jerry Tarkanian (80), Brian Sipe (61), Nigel Mansell (56), Sable (43) and Alek Radojevic (34) ... And hey, whatever became of Aaron Broten?